Krystyna's Polish Buttermilk Crumb Cake (Placek na Maslance)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 06/28/21
Krystyna's Polish Buttermilk Crumb Cake
Krystyna's Polish Buttermilk Crumb Cake

The Spruce / Barbara Rolek
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
504 Calories
19g Fat
79g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 504
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 243mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 79g 29%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 37g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 48mg 242%
Calcium 78mg 6%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 338mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This recipe for Polish buttermilk crumb cake or placek na maślance z kruszonka (PLAHT-sek mahsh-LAHN-tseh z krroo-SHOHN-kah) is from my cousin Krystyna Filipiak who lives in Turek, Poland.

It's a simple coffee cake that has buttermilk in the batter and is topped with fresh fruit of choice (I like tart cherries) and sweet crumbs or streusel. A streusel is simply a crumbly topping made by combining flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes spices like cinnamon (although not in this recipe) until crumbly. It is then sprinkled on coffee cakes, breads, muffins, and cakes. The word streusel is German for "to sprinkle" or to "strew." 

Krystyna says even a beginner cook can make this dessert and she's right. For variety, Krystyna sometimes spreads two cans of poppy seed filling on top of the fruit followed by the crumb topping.

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • 3 cups cake flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 quarts fresh fruit, such as pitted cherries, berries or apple slices

Crumb Topping:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13x9-inch pan.

  3. In a large bowl, beat 2 large room-temperature eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup room-temperature buttermilk, and 1/2 cup oil until well combined.

  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir into the egg mixture, combining thoroughly. Spread into prepared pan and top with fresh fruit of choice.

  5. In a medium bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup sugar together. Cut in 4 ounces cold butter pieces as for pie dough until crumbs form.

  6. Scatter crumbs over fruit. Bake about 40 minutes or until cake is baked and crumbs are golden.

  7. Serve and enjoy!

The Importance of Coffee Cakes in Eastern European Entertaining

One of the prime rules of entertaining etiquette in Eastern Europe is not to turn away expected or unexpected guests, for that matter, without offering them coffee, tea, vodka or brandy and some type of cake, if not a full meal or sandwich.

That's why most housewives make a simple coffee cake every day or every other day to have on hand in case someone dropped by. These coffee cakes stayed moist or could be quickly reheated to bring them back to just-baked perfection.

Here are 16 Eastern European Coffee Cake Recipes that would do any hostess proud.